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53—Gregory and His Greatness

Way of the Fathers

His name retains its greatness, even in modern times—even for Christians who don't know much history. They know Gregorian Chant, and maybe Gregorian Masses. Who was the Gregory behind those monuments? Born into nobility, he held vast estates in Italy and Sicily, but gave them up to be a monk. Then he gave up being a monk so that he could serve the Church. Elected pope, he recast the papacy as a full-time exercise of servitude. He was "servant of the servants of God," and as such he reformed the clergy, and the liturgy. He directed foreign missions and set lasting standards for inculturation of the faith. He did all this while he was very ill and often combined to bed. His greatness was manifest to his contemporaries and to every age after. LINKS Gregory the Great, Morals on the Book of Job http://www.lectionarycentral.com/gregorymoraliaindex.html Gregory the Great, Dialogues https://www.tertullian.org/fathers/gregory_00_dialogues_eintro.htm Gregory the Great, The Book of Pastoral Rule https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2223 Epistle XII: to John, Bishop of Syracuse (on reform of the liturgy) https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=3719 Mike Aquilina's website https://fathersofthechurch.com Mike Aquilina's books https://catholicbooksdirect.com/writer/mike-aquilina/ Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed http://www.ccwatershed.org DONATE at: http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio